We go behind the scenes with our team at Tynedale Insurance Services, based in Hexham, Northumberland, which was acquired by H&H Insurance Brokers earlier this year.
Since 2015, Joanne Lee and her team of insurance experts have been providing a first-rate service to clients across the north of England, spanning the Lake District, Northumberland, Durham and North Yorkshire, and into southern Scotland.
Tynedale Insurance Services offers a range of commercial insurance services including haulage fleets, motor trade and property owners while specialising in farm and agricultural insurance policies.
With Joanne at the helm, the company has grown considerably with an emphasis on providing a local, friendly and personal service to ensure every client feels valued.
This ethos made it a natural choice to become part of H&H Insurance Brokers.
Joanne, who has three decades of experience in the sector, said: “There were many reasons why we talked to H&H about the business, with the main one being its excellent reputation for providing an outstanding service to its clients. It was also because H&H Insurance Brokers is an agricultural specialist, just like ourselves and I didn’t want to run the risk of my company being bought by a national firm and then the local, personal service being taken away.
“It was important that we sold to a company which has the local community at its heart and is independent yet was big enough to be able to offer the support and guidance in HR and compliance which would ensure a smooth transition.
“It’s a great fit for us especially given that both companies are Premier Members of the Broker Network, we use the same IT systems, and we both use similar insurers, so there wouldn’t be any disruption to our clients. Everything has worked so well since the acquisition.
“From my perspective, having H&H Insurance Brokers for assistance and support to take some HR and administration issues off my shoulders has allowed me to focus on the ‘day job’ and enabled Tynedale to flourish further.”
Using skills acquired over 30 years in the industry, Joanne and Tynedale’s farming rural business manager and account executive Lisa Newman are often out on the road visiting clients and ensuring they are getting the best services possible.
The rest of the team is largely office based and includes office manager and team leader Heather Metcalf and commercial account handlers Lorna Taylor, Dawn Sutton, David Cook and Allan Riach.
“What you get with Tynedale Insurance Services is a warm, friendly welcome,” said Joanne. “Our staff know our clients so well and want to look after them the best they can.
“Because we are such a tight knit team, we are able to provide a very personal service and clients can rest assured that we will be with them every step of the way.”
Tynedale Insurance Services was founded by Joanne in 2015 after the company she had previously worked for was acquired by a large, national firm.
The local office from where the team had been based was set to be closed and many existing clients were asked to contact a call centre in Manchester, which promoted Joanne to start her own business ensuring a local, personal service.
Heather, Lisa, Dawn and Lorna had all worked with Joanne at the previous company and joined Tynedale at various stages of the journey. They say the close relationships the staff enjoy at work extends to the clients as well.
H&H Insurance Brokers’ Managing Director Paul Graham said he was delighted to be working with the Tynedale Insurance Services team and the acquisition of the business had strengthened the H&H brand by enhancing its reputation throughout the region.
He said: “Joanne has built up a very successful, popular business by using her wealth of experience in the sector, and we are very happy to have her and her team on board to support our plans to grow and strengthen H&H Insurance Brokers throughout the north of England and into Scotland.
“The merger brings together two companies which share the same values of putting local people at the heart of everything we do and it’s great that we are able to offer customers an improved and wider range of insurance services.”
Read more in our Issue 7 of our publication Insurance Matters click here
Tynedale Insurance Services has an office on Burn Lane Industrial Estate, Hexham, and can be contacted on 01434 622014 or email the team direct